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Insights from RKI documents highlight lockdowns cause more harm than good, including rise in child mortality
In December 2020, the RKI expressed worries that shutting down society might result in increased child mortality, citing examples from Africa. Additionally, the institute disagreed with the mandatory use of FFP2 masks due to insufficient evidence, as revealed in the meeting minutes.
After a two-year court case against an obscure media outlet named Multipolar, the RKI handed over the documents last week. These documents include minutes from daily meetings of the agency's "crisis unit" between February 2020 and April 2021. However, approximately one-third of the total documentation has been redacted, raising concerns that the health agency might still be withholding some confidential discussions.
One document among the extensive 2,500-page set of files indicates that the agency was aware that lockdowns could potentially inflict more harm than the coronavirus itself. The filing, dated to December 2020, noted that the result of lockdowns in Africa was "an expected rise in child mortality. The consequences of the lockdowns are in parts more severe than the virus itself".
However, the health agency did not communicate these concerns to the public. Three months later, when Bavaria became the first German state to require FFP2 masks in public areas, the RKI stated that it "does not comment on decisions made by other government authorities".
In another minute from January 2021, there were concerns expressed about the British-made AstraZeneca vaccine. It was described as "not as perfect" as other vaccines, and there were discussions about whether its use should be considered.
Politicians demand transparency from RKI as calls for full disclosure grow
Politicians have called on the RKI to release the full, uncensored findings for transparency.
"Everything should be put on the table," Armin Laschet, a centre-Right lawmaker, told broadcaster ZDF. "We can now see how differentiated discussions at the RKI were at the time and how little of this diversity ended up in concrete policy," said Mr Laschet, who was the Christian Democrats' unsuccessful chancellor candidate at the last election.
In contrast to the UK, Germany has not conducted an inquiry into the actions taken during the pandemic. Although the country was initially commended for its quick response to the virus's spread, measures became more disorderly as the pandemic progressed.
Notably, Angela Merkel, the former chancellor, announced an almost total shutdown of public life over Easter in 2021, only to reverse the decision a few days later.
Lockdown measures were especially contentious in Germany, where an opposition movement called Querdenker organized protests in towns across the country.
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